Nature makes transparent peer review standard for new submissions

Nature journal now requires transparent peer review (TPR) for all primary research articles selected for publication. Peer review reports and author responses will be published alongside articles to increase scientific transparency and support open science principles.

Following a successful trial, Nature’s universal TPR replaces its 2020 opt-in system. Reviewers remain anonymous unless they choose otherwise. This initiative supports Springer Nature’s broader commitment to research transparency and open sharing.

Nature’s Editor-in-Chief Magdalena Skipper said: “The evaluation of research papers by peers prior to their publication is an essential ingredient of disseminating robust and rigorous research. The purpose of peer review is to make the paper better and to help the authors tighten their claims. However, these discussions between the authors and reviewers, guided by the editors, are rarely made visible or reported on. Publishing peer review files offers important benefits for researchers and the wider community. I believe it provides a key insight into the publication process – especially for early-career researchers. We are delighted to now be able to offer universal TPR at Nature and support our authors and community with the benefits this brings.”

Deborah Sweet, Executive VP, Journals, Nature Portfolio at Springer Nature added: “Transparency is an increasingly important tool in research. This is central to our commitment to the community and we are working actively to offer transparent peer review even more widely across the broad range of research journals in the Nature Portfolio. By sharing academic exchanges, we can foster greater understanding of how scientific knowledge evolves, build greater trust in science, enable greater knowledge sharing and research data, and support the wider goals of open science.”

Springer Nature has implemented transparency measures across its journals since 1999, when BMC began publishing reviewer names and pre-publication histories. Nature Communications introduced optional TPR in 2016 and made it mandatory for direct submissions in 2022. As of early 2024, more than a third of Springer Nature’s journals offer preprint sharing and transparent peer review through the In Review platform.